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5 January 2020 posted by Recovery Partners

Unfortunately, organisations can find themselves in situations where they need to deal with sudden and sad events in the workplace. While there is often a desire to assist employees in their recovery from these events, sometimes organisations may not have the professional knowledge of how to provide this support. Our aim in sharing this story is to demonstrate how assistance can be provided to help benefit all who are involved. Please contact us should you wish to discuss this subject in any further detail.

A company experiences a sudden loss of an employee

A valued member of a company suffered a fatal heart attack outside of work hours. He was in the presence of his friend, who was also an employee of the company. The gentleman was a well-liked team member, a family man, with young children. Following this tragic situation, the man’s family, friends and colleagues were very shaken and extremely upset by the unexpected loss.

Providing support within a male-dominated industry

Inside predominantly male-dominated workplaces, there is often a negative stigma attached to being upset and expressing feelings.

Being a company with a ‘masculine’ culture, many of the employees were feeling shocked and devastated by the loss of a friend the following day. Still, they found it hard to acknowledge or show their emotions in front of their colleagues.

A Recovery Partners Psychologist was immediately called in to engage with this culture and provide counselling and critical incidence response to those that needed it, as part of the company’s Employee Assistance Program.

After debriefing with the manager about the incident and the culture of the company, the Psychologist understood that many of the employees would not be keen to share their feelings and therefore approached the situation as a supportive, understanding and friendly face.

The Psychologist assured the staff that their emotions were completely normal in response to the sudden tragic passing of their friend and colleague. She invited all staff to speak with her throughout the day, reassuring them that her door was open if they wanted to have a break or a casual chat. This encouraged many of the staff to approach the Psychologist, where she provided counselling and helped them understand what they were going through.

Those who chose to approach the Psychologist with guises such as “you look like you could do with some company,” the Psychologist quickly obliged and an encouraging chat ensued. During the chats with these staff members, the Psychologist subtly mentioned symptoms that they may experience over the next few days and helpful strategies to help them cope.

Each member of the company was provided with the support and information they needed.

Several staff members at the company chose to speak to the Recovery Partners Psychologist throughout the day to receive counselling and emotional support.

The Psychologist wanted to ensure that all staff members were supported, so she developed a fact sheet about responding to traumatic experiences. This guide was passed around to each of the employees to ensure that they had some more information about what they may be going through and some strategies of how to cope in the weeks following the tragic event.

We hope this story demonstrates how important providing appropriate critical incident support is following a tragic event and how it can help your employees.

Find out about Employee Assistance Programs

Find out more on our Psychological Services

 

Our services are available nationwide. For more information about our services contact us.

Our consultants love to have a chat, so go ahead and give us a call on 1300 OHS RTW (647 789) or email enquiries@rrp.com.au

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Disclaimer – these articles are provided to supply general safety information to people responsible for OHS in their organisation. They are general in nature and do not substitute for legal and/or professional advice. We always suggest that organisations obtain information specific to their needs. Additional information can be found at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/